Metroid: An Unknown Chapter
by Halekyn Steel
Summary: Samus, captured by the Space Pirates. A friend in an unexpected place... a battle for freedom. All in all, this shaped up really well! I kinda borrowed from Super Smash bros. Brawl for one of samus' attacks... Enjoy!


Samus crouched in her dank, musty cell, deep in the Space Pirate prison on the remains of the planet known as Zebes, where the Chozo had lived for centuries before the Space Pirates eliminated them from the face of the planet. She cursed the name Space Pirate, and with it, she thought of her vow of revenge against them. Samus was not from Zebes, and was instead born on an Earth-colony planet known as K-4. While still just a child, the Space Pirates, scum and villainy of the universe, attacked and raided the planet. Samus's parents were killed, as were most of the other people on the planet. When the Space Pirates searched for anything they could loot from the dead, they found Samus, then but a shell of a human child. They passed over her, not knowing that it would lead to some of the greatest losses their fleet had ever experienced. The Chozo came to K-4 after the space Pirates had left. One of them, an elder male, found Samus huddled under some rubble, just as the Pirates had left her. He and several others dug her out and took her to Zebes, which was one of their planets where nature and technology combined to form seamless union.

Samus was raised by the Chozo, who taught her everything they knew. They trained her in the ways of war, even crafting of of their own battle suits for her. She accepted it gladly, and knew that her purpose was clear. She would swear revenge on the Space Pirates, and would not stop till they all were killed. Then one day, her world was turned upside down. The Pirates attacked Zebes!! Samus managed to escape, as did many of the Chozo. They travelled to Tallon IV, which would become the birthing place for the creature known as Metroid Prime. The Chozo were great seers, and could see future events. However, they could do nothing to alter them. They foresaw their own demise at the poisonous influence of a great poison which fell with a star from the sky. They foresaw the Pirates coming to try and harness the massive amounts of energy of the substance known as Phazon. They also foresaw the Hatchling, otherwise known as Samus Aran, coming in, with anger driving her own Chozo-crafted weapon. They saw her many times in their visions, which soon became clouded, as the few who were left eventually began to succumb to the Great Poison. The only thing the inhabitants of Tallon IV could do was create the Chozo Artifacts, which they then used to keep the Impact Crater of the Poison contained.

The Space Pirates set up their base on Zebes. However, Samus, now a bounty hunter for the Galactic Federation, was not far behind. Her Power Beam cut a swath through the operations of the Space Pirates, and she succeeded in destroying the two greatest generals in the Pirate armies, Ridley and Kraid. After this, she journeyed down to fight and destroy the Mother Brain. The cataclysmic explosion that engulfed the base wiped out most of the Metroids the Pirates were experimenting on, and all but destroyed the better portion of their forces. The survivors split into two groups. One stayed behind on Zebes to rebuild what had been destroyed. The other group raced of to Tallon IV, intrigued by the incredible power emanations coming from the planet where the meteor carrying the Phazon had crashed, 20 years before.

Samus had followed them there, destroying once again the Pirate base. There she also destroyed the newly contructed Meta Ridley, a much more dangerous version of the original foe that she had defeated on Zebes. After this incredible battle, she encountered her greatest ever foe in all her years of fighting the Pirates: Metroid Prime. The beast, if that's what it could be called, fed on its own creation, the Phazon. It created Metroids from seemingly nothing BUT the Phazon. And when Samus battled it, the intelligent being fought back with a savageness that could only be matched by Samus's own resolve, and her upgraded Power Suit, which had been contaminated by Phazon from the Omega Pirate, the abomination created from the Pirates fusing Phazon with a specially bred Space Pirate. After the battle with Metroid Prime, Samus barely escaped with her life, and watched as the temple where the Chozo had once been was demolished.

Soon after this, she received a call from the Federation to go to another planet, to discover what had happened to a group of Marines they had sent. When Samus arrived on the planet, named Aether, she discovered that it too had been hit by a meteor, just as Tallon IV had been. The Phazon was there as well, and the Space Pirates were not far behind it. She discovered the plight of a sentient and benevolent race known as the Luminoth, and learned too of the Ing, the Luminoth's enemies. The Ing were on a parallel world not unlike Aether, and it was darker; much darker. Through a series of many incredible battles, including multiple battles against a Dark version of herself, with all the same weapons, the same suit contaminated with and apparently MADE from Phazon, and even the same modes of battle Samus had; against incredible odds, and even more incredible enemies, Samus destroyed the Ruler Ing, a behemoth of a creature, and a deadly one as well. After this, she faced off against Metroid Prime once again. Prime did not take the previous form it had on Tallon IV. Instead, it took the form of its enemy, Samus!! So this was the dark version of herself that she had fought so many times!! Samus once again bested Prime, who reached out in it's final moments to try and touch the light of Samus's suit, as if it wanted redemption for its terrible deeds. It did not reach, and instead vaporized. The Dark Aether began to dissolve around Samus, and the Ing tried to impede her passing through the portal back to Aether. She outran them, and watched as the portal dissappeared from her side. She returned the last of the Light that she was to collect, and then left Aether, no longer in a state of flux and war. The Luminoth thanked her, and she returned to the Federation.

That was where everything went wrong. Her ship was attacked, and taken aboard a massive Space Pirate vessel. She was disarmed quickly, but how they had managed this, she didn't know. Locked in a cell now, she cursed the name Space Pirate. The translator that she had in her ear at least let her understand what they were saying, and they had developed a translator to understand what she said as well, though mostly it was to mock her. She was paraded around, tied to a pole, as the Pirates took their turns spitting on her, cursing HER name, and then one special Pirate being chosen to give her lashes across her back with a barbed whip, cruel even by the Pirates degraded moral standards. But to them, the Hunter clad in Metal, Samus, deserved no less torture for her crimes against them.

Samus heard the door to the dungeon where she was kept creak open. She cowered against the back of her cell as the footsteps drew closer. She covered her eyes, fearing the sight of an anger-filled Pirate coming in to deliver more torture to her.

"It's okay, warrior. I'm not here to hurt you," a kindly voice said. "Look at me. I would like to see the eyes of the one who slayed so many of us without a single thought."

Samus looked up. Her blue eyes pierced the Pirate's heart. "Who are you?"

The Pirate replied, "My designation is Lieutenant Colonel Grey 254."

"Well, Grey 254, why would a pirate care so much about a lowly human who slayed your kind so many times?"

"Do not misjudge me, Hunter. I do not care for you. However... I am interested to learn more about you. After all, you are the stuff of legends. The one Hunter who managed to destroyed Ridley not once, but twice? It is incredible. I am but a lowly story-teller and a chronicler while not in war. And as you can plainly see, with you here behind bars, there is no need for much of our forces to be on the front lines." Grey sat down on a bench in front of her cell. "So please... tell me. It will be recorded in the history books. It is only right that our children learn the other side of the story, about the person who managed to thwart our many schemes single-handedly."

"You would really take the time to listen to this pitiful human?"

"Of course. Not all of us Pirates are without a heart."

Samus was taken aback by this comment. She quickly regained her composure. "Then listen, Grey, and listen well, for you are about to hear the sad story of Samus Aran, greatest bounty hunter of the Federation, brought low by her sworn enemies, the Space Pirates."

Several hours later, Grey left Samus to her cell. The guard had ushered him out, as his time for visiting was up, and he would be allowed to visit the prisoner the next cycle. The Lt. Col. walked home slowly to his wife and child, both of whom had already seen the Hunter brought low by their own father on one of the many parades held weekly. At first he had relished the whipping he'd given her, but when he though about it, and thought about the pain he caused her, it stung him to the core. He thought of how he and the others of his kind were personifying the exact stereotype of a Space Pirate: cruel, brutal, caring nothing for others except their own kind.

"Naki, I'm home from the prison. Chief, give your father a hug. He has heard many things today which have perturbed him."

Naki, Grey's wife, was beautiful by Space Pirates standards, the perfect wife for a member of the military which had brought down the Hunter. "What did you learn today, my cherished one? What of the Hunter did you learn?"

"Yes, Papa!! Tell me! I want to know before anyone else at the school!" Chief exclaimed happily, jumping into his fathers arms.

"I learned incredibly too much, my loves. Too much pain has Samus Aran experienced in her life; more than many of us will ever know. She lost her only family in a raid on K-4, a planet raided by none other than our race. She destroyed the Mother Brain after learning from the Chozo, whom we slaughtered for no reason, both on Zebes and Tallon IV. She defeated Metroid Prime not once, but five times. The four after the defeat on Tallon IV took place on a planet known as Aethon. It was incredible, Naki. I learned so much... it's only a shame that she will be put to death in four cycles." Grey's eyes clouded, turning them a dull orange. "If only there was something I could do... if only there was a way I could save her from her fate, no matter what happens to our race. She is too great a fighter, and does not deserve to die by execution. Like we believe for our warriors, she deserves to die in battle, against her enemy."

Naki sighed. "Do not let your head be filled with these dangerous ideas. It could be... deadly. Not just for you, but for us as well. The other idealist who died because of the Hunter was not the only one who died, remember? His entire family was put to death, one at the beginning of each cycle."

"I have not forgotten, my wife. But I say to you, I will find a way to have her released from her prison, to fight another day. Maybe she will even spare us... take us to the Federation, where we can plead our case and start anew. Maybe, just maybe... we could be the diplomats to the Space Pirate empire for the Federation." Grey let the idea simmer in his head for a few moments. "Maybe, just maybe..."

Samus slept fitfully in her cell, with the knowledge of her execution breaking through her dreams and turning them into nightmares. What would they do to her to put her to death? Gas her? No, that wasn't cruel enough for the Pirates. Would they flog her with the barbed whip until her flesh was rent from her bones, and she died of blood loss? Tht sounded more like them. Or would they let one of their home-grown Metroids suck the life out of her slowly, draining her of not only her lifeforce, but also her will to fight back? That would be the worst punishment they could give her, as it would not only be the longest punishment, but it could last for weeks on end. At least shooting her with a Galvanic Accelerator would be quick and slightly painless.

Grey sent his well-worded appeal to the High Council of the Space Pirate Empire on behalf of Samus Aran. Now her fate was no longer in his hands. It was in the hands of those who had condemned her to death in the first place. But Grey was convinced, that if he could just get an audience with the Council, he might be able to save the great warrior, and let her live on in the Federation. Though she might one day come back and destroy all the Pirates, if she did, Grey would die knowing that he helped the universe's only true chance of survival from any threat, and any danger.

Two days later, the day before Samus's scheduled execution, the Council accepted Grey's appeal. He was granted an audience with the High Council, a privelege reserved for those who they saw a true genuine spark of fire in.

"Council members, I say to you, that it was NOT the Hunter's fault that she destroyed many of our great Empire's plans. No, I say to you, it was OUR fault! We were the ones who raided her home planet, killing her parents. That set into motion all the events following that fateful day when the Chozo race found her, but a child on K-4. If we had not raided that planet, we might have succeeded in all our plans. It would truly be a different universe!"

The Grand Judge sat complacently in his chair, which rose a good five feet above the tallest Space Pirates. "We have listened to your passionate words, Grey 254. The Council will reconvene tomorrow, on the day of her scheduled execution, to give you our decision."

"Understood, Grand Judge. I await your decision, and can only hope that you make the correct one based on the facts." Grey bowed, collected his papers, and turned to head to the prison to see Samus possibly one last time before she died.

The Grand Judge called out, "Grey 254, hold for just a moment." The Judge, an elder Space Pirate, stepped down from his chair, and after the other Judges has left, walked over to Grey. "I understand the fire that burns inside of you, young Leutienant. However, why are you fighting for the one who killed your Father when YOU were but a small child? Are not the tables turned?"

"Grand Judge, I fight not for me. I fight for the honor that Samus Aran brought to all the Pirates she slayed. They died in battle against a truly worthy foe, and thus brought honor to themselves and their families." Grey stood regal and erect, stretching to his full height of seven feet. "I fight for the warrior inside of her. She deserves to die like any other warrior, in battle, fighting her enemy."

"Indeed, Grey 254. She is truly a great warrior, and a worthy foe for any Pirate to fight. You have just helped me in my decision incredibly more than you think."

Grey bowed his head. "Thank you, Grand Judge."

"Samus! Wake up! I may have gotten you a chance to be set free!" Grey said excitedly to the woman in her cell. His eyes once again took in her delicate form. She wore nothing but her suit interface, which for we humans is just a small top, and a pair of short-shorts. Even to a Space Pirate, she was beautiful and deadly.

Samus sat up like a lightning bolt. "Really?! But... but how?!"

Grey smiled, in his strange, Pirate way. "I got an audience with the High Council. They listened to your case. Now you have a fighting chance, great warrior."

"Just how I like it." Samus grinned. "Grey, I can't thank you enough. Even if I die tomorrow, you should put down in your history books that you were the one Pirate who ever broke the stereotype that all other races had of you. You were the one Pirate who actually cared enough to try and help his enemy be set free. In my books, that's a true friend."

"Thank you, warrior. If you are set free, there is one favor I would like to ask of you..."

"Anything, what is it?"

Grey's eyes shifted uneasily. "As you know, fraternizing with the enemy is strictly forbidden. I was given a chance only because I record history. But HELPING the enemy? That is a crime against my own race. If you are set free, or survive whatever punishment they give you tomorrow, then I would ask that you take my family and myself aboard your bounty ship and transport us to the Federation. We would be able to start over, and start fresh, as the first ever Space Pirates allowed into the Federation. We could be diplomats to our race, work out agreements with them on behalf of humans and the other races." He laughed. "Maybe my son could even have humans friends!"

Samus chuckled weakly. "Indeed. That would definitely be something to record in your history books. You would be a hero for ages to come, Grey." She thought the proposal over. "I agree. If they put me in a gauntlet tomorrow, and I live through it, I will take you and your family with me. It's the least I can do to repay you for your help."

The day arrived. Samus stepped into the large arena where the gladiators fought for sport. Only today, she would be fighting for her life, her freedom, and for a friend. A Pirate stepped up, unlocked the shackles on her wrists and feet, and handed her a suit not unlike her Zero Suit.

"Put it on," he said in a gruff voice. "It is the only advantage you will be given in battle."

Samus nodded, and slipped into her suit. Immediately, she felt the strength that she had when she wore her battle suit return. She smiled. The Pirate handed her a Galvanic Accelerator.

"Just point and shoot." He then handed her an energy shield. "Good for a five second shield. Then it must recharge for thirty seconds... if you live that long." He snickered at his own joke.

Samus grinned. "Don't worry, I will..."

"My Pirate kin, I give to you the destroyer of our race, and the killer of five of our greatest generals!! Samus Aran, the Hunter!! Today she will be facing TEN of our strongest, fastest, and smartest Elite Pirate forces! If she killed Mother Brain, and Ridley, Kraid, the Omega Pirate, and Meta Ridley, then she should have no problem fighting the Elite Pirates."

The first of ten Pirates stepped out onto the battle field. "Our gladiators today are equipped with the latest in Chameleon Cloaking technology, able to appear and disappear from sight at a moment's notice! They wield the best Galvanic Accelerator in the military at this time, the Mark III!! Their shields are good for a five second burst, as are the prisoner's. She too is equipped with the cloaking technology, but like our technology, it is only good for short bursts. Now... ARE WE READY TO SEE THE FIGHT?!"

The roar of the crowd replied. Grey cheered as well, but not for the Elite Pirates. He cheered silently for Samus, as she was his and his family's only ticket out of this hellhole they called a homeworld. He had snuck into the armory the night before the gladiator battle and found the weapons and shield which would be Samus's. He had secretly upgraded them, making the rounds that she fired double strength, and the shield last twice as long. The cloaking technology he couldn't upgrade, but he felt he had given her a true fighting chance. The gladiators, should their weapon be lost to them, were each given a melee blade, which could shatter the cloaking technology, but the shield would hold for a few seconds after a good hit.

"Gladiators! Take your positions!! Ready your weapons!! When I sound the signal, FIGHT!!" The announcer pushed a green button, and a horn sounded throughout the stadium.

The Elite Pirate lunged at Samus, moving faster than she had expected. She quickly activated her cloaking, and slipped away from him, making sure to stick her leg out to trip him. Once he began to fall, he flipped head over heels. A loud snap could be heard over the roar of the crowd. The Pirate's neck had broken. A gasp emanated form the audience.

The announcer was shocked as well. "Our... our first opponent has been taken down... and in record time! Impossible! Samus has scored her first kill. Bring out the next opponent, who's nickname is 'The Bull', and for good reason!"

Bull stepped into the light of the stadium to the pleasing roar of the crowd.The signal sounded again, and Bull looked for Samus. But she had cloaked, and was using her enhanced speed to rush the Bull. The cloaking gave out, and she appeared, no more than ten feet from him.

"RRRAAAAAAH!!" She screamed, lunging at him. Bull lowered his head, which had a flatter surface than the rest of him. When Samus missed him, he immediately came up, throwing the woman twenty feet behind him, into the stands. Samus groaned, her back cracking. "Ow..." She stood up, and regaining her composure, aimed her weapon at the Bull. She fired one shot, which the Bull, at such a close range, could not stop in time. It flashed through his head, his green blood spewing out the other side.

"That's two, killed by Samus. Bring out our next contender."

Samus smirked as the third contender was brought out. The signal sounded, and the opponent actually fired his Accelerator at Samus, who activated her shield, deflecting all the shots. She raised her own weapon and fired a five second volley at the gladiator. The shots pierced his head, his chest, and his stomach. Green blood flowed freely, and he fell backwards, dead in a matter of seconds. The next two opponents both tried the same thing; both oppoenents died. The next three all preferred melee attacks, which Samus was not prepared for. She whipped out her own sword and parried the attacks. She was struck to the head... but luckily, her shield had been on! She activated cloaking and ran away to the side of the stadium. It deactivated, and she fired off her weapon. The combatants all fell. The ninth one was no different. He, too, fell at the hands of the Hunter.

The announcer was riled up now. "Ladies and gentle-Pirates! We have only one opponent left for our prisoner to fight! The biggest, strongest, fastest, Pirate of all! The newly remade OMEGA PIRATE!! Fused with Phazon from Tallon IV's core itself, this Pirate held onto his sanity long enough to learn all he needed to know to defeat Samus! He is not equipped with the normal armaments of a gladiator, but is instead equipped with his normal weapons, including his Beam absorbing shield! But there is one flaw in this.

"In order for our prisoner to fight this last opponent, she must be given back her Power Suit. We have disabled her Screw Attack feature, as well as her Space Jump, and in this way, she cannot get away from the stadium before her time. Bring out the suit, if you please!"

Samus's suit was rolled out inside a tank, where the pieces were kept perfectly safe. Samus touched the glass, and a light filled the Stadium. She appeared in her Varia suit, ready for battle, her Accelerator beam replaced with her Power Beam. She had 100 missiles in her reserves, and had all her Beam weapons: Power, Wave, Ice, and Plasma.

"Are the combatants ready?!"

The Omega Pirate smirked.

Samus signaled yes.

"THEN BEGIN!!"

The enormous Pirate activated its shoulder-mounted Missile system and lets loose a volley of shots at Samus. She dodged quickly, making sure to fire off a few missles at the Pirates' Phazon based armor. One of the shoulder pads broke apart. The recoil caused the Omega Pirate to jump a little, with a groan thrown in for good measure. Then he did something unexpected. He suddenly slammed his hands down into the ground, throwing out a Shockwave. Samus was caught by the wave, which threw her back for a good thirty feet against a wall. She grunted, watching her energy tanks deplete till she only had 1 tank left, and 40 energy on her current tank. She had only been given the 2.

She stood slowly. She lifted her head to see the Pirate grinning in its demented, alien way. She raised her beam and activated the Special weapon on her Power Beam: the Super Missile. It blasted away another one of the Phazon protectors the Pirate had. The Beam shield was activated, and Samus was careful not to fire her weapon, watching as the pirate advanced slowly towards her, trying to cut off her escape. She changed into Morphball mode, activated her Boost ball, and dashed away from the behemoth. The shield was deactivated, and she immediately sprang for the chance to let loose two more Super Missiles. The armor was gone, and the beast was open to attack, as there was no Phazon to be absorbed to replenish its armor. Samus switched quickly to Plasma Beam, jumped high into the air, charged, and let loose a shot.

It ripped through the chest of the Omega Pirate. She fired more shots in quick succession, screaming her war cry loudly. "RRRAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" She then let loose everything she had in her arsenal in one huge blast. It engulfed the Omega Pirate, incinerating him entirely. She landed in front of a pile of ash. Her suit deactivated then, and in a flash of light, she appeared in her Zero Suit. Her suit would recharge, but till then, she had to remain in her Zero Suit.

The announcer uncovered his eyes. "My fellows... we have just witnessed true power here. The prisoner is still alive after facing the elite of the elite, the strongest of the strong; the Omega Pirate reborn. She has won her freedom as a true warrior. Samus... we congratulate you on your success here. You are... free to go."

Samus didn't respond. She simply turned her back and left. That night, in her cell, Grey came in to congratulate her.

"That was truly amazing, warrior. But do tell me... how did you unleash that final smashing blow?"

Samus merely smiled. "The will of a warrior can unleash many things, Grey. That was only one of the amazing things my suit can do. You will get to see more of it when you join me in the Federation, as my partner in battle."

"P-partner? With the greatest bounty hunter ever to live? I... I couldn't. I just couldn't! I'm not worthy enough. Now... if you will follow me, I will lead you to your ship. My wife and son await us there." Grey unlocked her cell, and Samus stepped out. No shackles were needed this time, as she was now considered free.

"Naki! Chief! It is time for us to leave. We will see more of the universe now... we are joining the Federation!!" Grey exclaimed, helping his family into the bounty ship. Samus sat inside at the controls, getting the ship prepared for lift-off. She was given take-off clearance, and once the family was inside, she shut the hatch, warmed up the engines, and took-off, headed for more danger and excitement. Chief watched out the window as his homeworld shrank into the vast blackness known as space.

"Papa... will we ever return here?"

Grey smiled. "Someday, my son, you will return here to claim a wife. All the women will want you, because your father will have been friends with the greatest Bounty Hunter ever to live, Samus Aran. You will be famous, my son. And when I die... I know you will have grown up with all the traits that make a great leader, a wonderful fighter... and an amazing father."

Samus spun in her chair, letting the ship fly on autopilot. "Indeed, little Chief. You will be famous, as your father says. And I do hope that you return here someday to start a family of your own. But I hope it will be as a friend to the Federation, and quite possibly a bounty hunter, like myself."

"As do I, Samus. As do I," Chief said, smiling.

_The End_

If you enjoyed reading this fanfiction as much as I enjoyed writing it, and would like to get a hold of me, you can reach me through myspace at: /halekyn

You can reach me at my Gaia-Online account: Halekyn Steel

You can reach me through my Guild Wars account, as well: Halekyn Steel, Avatar of Halekyn, Pantheon Steel, Leader of Halekyn, Everlasting Halekyn, or Mac Anu. This is an ONLINE game, you will need to purchase it and install it. There is no monthly fee, and you can even join the guild that I'm in. Please do, we need people to help make the guild even better than it is right now.

I don't feel comfortable giving out my email to anonymous people to use, so if you'd like to contact me, then reach me through my account: Halekyn Steel. Send me a private message or something, and I'll drop you my email. Who knows, maybe we can brainstorm together. ;)

Oh, and if you're wondering what the deal is with the name Halekyn, it's the name of a character I made but have not actually written a story about yet. Please look forward to more fanfictions starring Samus Aran. Also look forward to the adventures of characters made by the acclaimed author Ted Dekker.


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